54th book of 2019 – I enjoyed it.
It felt like a sci-fi version of bureaucratic fiction (i.e. 驻京办主任) where the grinding gears of tradition and succession are as much an element of the plot as the living characters. Moreover, it captures the feeling of being a foreigner, and to quote another review: “This is for all those who have ever fallen in love with a culture that was not their own.”
From my read, the biggest disappointment was the uncanny valley of diplomacy, where our protagonist was constantly enthralled with Teixcalaan, but very little space is given to Lsel, which should be the core of her character. Having spent my fair share of time on diplomacy, I just couldn’t shake the feeling that the measure of a person should be more their past than their present, and the entire edifice of Mahit’s character felt hollow, like a CGI effect gone wrong.
Still, I enjoyed the protagonist’s relationship with the Teixcalaan, even if it was made too literal in the relationships with 19 Adze and 6 Direction, and I’ll gladly read the sequel when it comes out.